workbench Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV (male) World War One Tank

I got this Warlord Games Bolt Action Mark IV (male) British WWI tank model for Christmas.

It consists of mainly resin parts with some metal components.

I have a 15mm Home Guard Mark IV Male, but as I am in the process of building a Bolt Action 28mm Home Guard force, I did want to add some armour to them with a Mark IV Male World War One tank put into service, even if it was merely as a mobile pillbox.

I mentioned this idea in an article I wrote on a French themed Operation Sealion, Otaire de Vigneur.

To add a bit of diversity to my games, I also have one of Minifigs’ World War One British tanks, for use by a Home Guard unit (stolen from a local museum no doubt).

Now when I wrote that article and bought the miniature it was only an assumption and what I thought would be a nice idea, and probably had no basis in truth….

Well just shows a little historical research never hurt anyone, as the Bovington Tank Museum has on display a Mark IV Male tank that was used just in this way. It was used in World War One and then presented to the Navy. When war broke out in September 1939, the Tank Mark IV (Male) number 2324 was refurbished for Home Guard duties; according to the Bovington Tank Museum website.

Our exhibit, a male tank, was presented to the Royal Navy’s Gunnery School, HMS Excellent after the war to commemorate their help training Tank Corps gunners and it was temporarily refurbished for Home Guard duties in 1940. (Believed to have been achieved by removed parts from another tank possibly on Southsea Common.)

This photograph is from HMS Excellent in 1940.

One thing clear from this photograph is the disruptive camouflage they have used on the tank.

Another view of the Mark IV at speed.

So though I thought my idea was probably if Operation Sealion had happened, I didn’t think and didn’t realise that it had in fact happened despite the fact that the Germans hadn’t invaded.

So as I also have the Royal Navy Section this gives me an excuse to use this model.

So onto building the model.

The first step will be to give the resin parts a wash in soapy water and clean up the metal components.

Adding depth to the Ridgerunner

One of my more recent models is the Genestealer Cults Achilles Ridgerunner.

The Achilles Ridgerunner is an Imperial light exploratory vehicle often used to scout out new ore seams by mining guild prospectors and newly discovered terrain on Frontier Worlds by geological surveyors.

I really do like this model, and as it is an Imperial light exploratory vehicle, I decided that I could use this to support my Daemonhunters force of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, some of whom are Cadian Kasrkin and some are Tallarn Imperial Guard.

I had already constructed and undercoated the model. I then basecoated and shaded the Ridgerunner.

I wanted more depth to the model so the model was then given various extra washes of mainly Citadel Shades, Seraphim Sepia, and Agrax Earthshade.

This I felt would make the drybrushing work better.

See the workbench feature on the Inquisitorial Achilles Ridgerunner.

Drybrushing the Kill Bursta

I have had my Kill Bursta hanging around on the workbench for a while now, so it’s nice to make some significant progress on the model.

Forge World’s big Ork tank mounts a huge gun ready to take on any Imperial BaneBlade or even Titan. The Kill Bursta mounts a huge-bore Kannon capable of destroying bunkers and siegeworks with ease.

When I constructed and undercoated the model, I had given the model a double undercoat of white and black and then using a thinned Chaos Black I touched up the black basecoat. I also black undercoated certain parts of the engine.

The first thing I did when I revisited the model was something different and sprayed the upper surfaces of the model with Citadel Spray Zandri Dust. Using a brush I painted the tracks with Gorthor Brown. I did the engine with Leadbelcher, rather than drybrushing with Tin Bitz over a black undercoat.

I started painting some of the panels with other colours and I shaded the model notably Balor Brown and Ushabti Bone. This is really to break up the predominant colour of the model.

The next stage was a bit of a challenge, using various Citadel shades, though mainly Seraphim Sepia, to add shadow to the model.

Once this was done and dry I started to rust and dust up the model.

What I wanted was to get both a dusty and rusty look to the model.

I drybrushed the model with a mix of XV-88 and Ushabti Bone, before finally using some Ushabti Bone.

I then took some Citadel Dry paint, Golgfag Brown and using a smaller drybrush added patches here and then across the model to represent rusty or rusting patches on the Kill Bursta and used some on the tracks and wheels.

I also used Golgfag Brown and Leadbelcher on the engine.

There is still a fair bit of work to do on the model, but I am pleased with my progress so far.

See the workbench feature on the Ork Kill Bursta.

Drybrushing the Ork Battlewagon

This plastic battlewagon kit was released by Games Workshop on the 3rd January 2009 and I picked mine up on the 4th January. I had hoped to paint the model quite quickly, well nearly ten years later, maybe not.

The last stage I left the model was back in 2010 when I had drybrushed the black parts of the model. It then got left for a while, well it got left for quite a few years! So I recently unearthed it from storage with the intention of finishing it off. Having constructed the model, shading it with washes and some light drybrushing, I wanted to add some more weathering.

What I wanted was to get both a dusty and rusty look to the model.

I drybrushed the model with more XV-88 then doing a lighter drybrush with a mix of XV-88 and Ushabti Bone, before finally using some Ushabti Bone.

I then took some Citadel Dry paint, Golgfag Brown and using a smaller drybrush added patches here and then across the model to represent rusty or rusting patches on the wagon.

With this model, less is more, so I think I might go back to the model and use some weathering powders.

I still think I need to rust up the tracks more, as well as the death roller.

See the workbench feature on the Ork Battlewagon.

See photographs of completed Ork Battlewagons from various shows.

Dusting up the Beast

Probably my favourite Indiana Jones film is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The combination of archaeology, mythology, nazi soldiers and lots of wonderful pulp action. Though we know it wasn’t real, and though we know that there was no actual historical version of it; I am sure most of us who have thought about recreating the Indiana Jones films on the table have wanted to use that tank. It appears at first glance to be a Mark VIII with a turret, the reality was that it was built specially for the film and was built up from an excavator.

I wrote back in 2012 about finding a 28mm model of the tank, since then I found it was available from Empress Miniatures, I was able to order it and go through the resin pieces and constructing the Mark IX Beast. Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow on the Mark IX Beast tank. Having thought about the result and I didn’t like the Tan Yellow, I went ahead and made the decision to repaint the tank with Citadel Layer colour, Ushabti Bone. I then shaded the tank with various washes.

The next stage was to start to tone down the shading with some drybrushing with Ushabti Bone.

The effect was to give the tank a dusty feel as though it had been driving for some time in the deserts.

I was quite pleased with how this turned out.

The next stage will be further weathering.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Undercoating the workshop

I had been thinking about getting this kit for a while now. So on a shopping trip to my local games shop I decided to make an impulse purchase and buy the box. As well as the named workshop you also get three barricades and three piles of scrap.

All Mekboyz can perform battlefield repairs using no more than a weighty wrench-hammer, a sack of nails and a healthy dose of gumption, but most do their best work in the comfortably anarchic surrounds of their own workshop. Meks are more than capable of cobbling together a workspace from whatever is lying about, with rudimentary workshops springing up from battlefield wreckage even while the bullets are still flying. Greenskin vehicles roar toward such teetering structures, their crews throwing sacks of teef at the resident Mek – he and his crew get to work immediately, sending the Ork customers on their way with snazzier guns, souped-up engines and extra armour plates.

This workshop is the main model from the Ork Mekboy Workshop boxed set. It is the only part of the kit that actually needs to be constructed, the barricades and scrap piles are single piece models.

I really should read my own workbench feature as I didn’t undercoat the model in the way that I was planning to do. So the crane was going to have a white undercoat, whilst the workshop wall was going to have a Leadebelcher undercoat. In the end I did this the other way around.

So I gave the model an undercoat, some parts were done with Corax White and other parts with Leadbelcher.

My reasoning behind the undercoating was that the metal parts I would use Leadbelcher and then shade and wash the parts to give a dirty metal look to them. With the white undercoated pieces I will probably use a contrast paint as a basecoat, before then washing and highlighting.

Windscreening

So this model started off with an old Hot Wheels New Beetle that I “found” in a box in the garage…

I wanted to try out some painting techniques, weathering powders and transfers, before I started painting not only my other Gaslands cars, but also my Forge World Ork models.

Having added some transfers and done some weathering I started thinking about enhancing the model, so decided to paint the windscreen.

This went through a range of techniques, but I’m not too happy about the end result. I wanted a dark blue look to the windscreen with lighter highlights. I also used some contrast and inks to make it look like glass. I don’ think it worked, but that’s the point of this model it’s a testbed for techniques.

Washing the Grot Tank and finding the Krew

I picked up the Grot Mega Tank at GamesDay 2010. It was available in limited numbers, but I was lucky enough to pick one up, before they sold out. I really do like this model alongside the Grot Tanks.

Hammered together out of junk, spare Mekboy know-wotz and unbridled Grot enthusiasm, the Grot Mega Tank adds even more firepower to the battlefield madness that has come to be known as a Grotzkrieg, terrifying Imperial Tacticians, Eldar Farseers and Chaos Warlords alike.

The model is very ship like with battleship style turrets and a prow shaped bow. It is a very ramshackle vehicle and looks like (as it should) if the grots have just thrown it together from parts lying around the battlefield and stuff stolen from a Mek workshop.

So after letting this model languish too long in a box, I got it out again to see if I could finish painting it. Having re-undercoated the model I finished off the basecoat.

The next stage was a bit of a challenge in using various Citadel shades, though mainly Seraphim Sepia to add shadow to the model. I did use a large 1/2 Round Mop brush which helped. I then used some other shades, Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade on specific parts of the model.

Towards the rear of the Grot Mega Tank I used more Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade shades, especially on the engine compartment.

I started to prepare a Krew member. I cleaned the casting and secured him to a slottabase for painting.

I then gave him a white undercoat using a Corax White spray.

See the Grot Mega Tank Workbench.

Painting the scrap piles and barricades

I have been thinking about getting this kit for a while now. So on a recent shopping trip to my local games shop I decided to make an impulse purchase and buy the box. Well it was nearly 30% cheaper than on the GW site (and it’s out of stock on their website).

As well as the named workshop you also get three barricades and three piles of scrap. Before starting on the workshop part of the kit I decided I would paint the scrap piles and barricades. Having cleaned the plastic parts I gave them a Corax White undercoat.

I then started painting the basecoat across the scrap piles and barricades using a combination of Base and Contrast Citadel paints.

With this large barricade, the bit of Dakkajet was painted red, whilst the bonnet was painted yellow. Other parts were painted with Leadbelcher.

For this barricade I painted a key part of it with Leadbelcher and Contrast Cygor Brown.

I wasn’t too impressed with the Cygor Brown, it covered well, but there wasn’t too much contrast.

On this scrap pile I painted the Imperial ammo chest and the dented oil drum with Contrast Militarum Green and the tyres I did with Contrast Basilicanum Grey.

The majority of this scrap pile was painted with Leadbelcher and some parts were done with Contrast Cygor Brown.

The tyre I did with Contrast Basilicanum Grey, and as this barricade appears to have figher parts I did these parts with Base Averland Sunset.

On the largest piece of scrap I did the pile of tyres with Contrast Basilicanum Grey, whilst the chest was done with Contrast Militarum Green.

Contrast Cygor Brown was used for some parts of the pile.

See the workbench feature on all parts of the Ork Mekboy Workshop.

Assembling the workshop

I have been thinking about getting this kit for a while now. So on a recent shopping trip to my local games shop I decided to make an impulse purchase and buy the box. As well as the named workshop you also get three barricades and three piles of scrap.

This workshop is the main model from the Ork Mekboy Workshop boxed set. It is the only part of the kit that actually needs to be constructed.